Results 15,121-15,140 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Staff Data (26 Sep 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: My Department was established on the 2nd June 2011 and my personal appointees were made in accordance with the Guidelines on Staffing of Ministerial Offices as issued by the Department of Finance in April 2011 and the information is set out hereunder. Ministerial Appointees 2011 2013 (to date) Special Advisors 2* 1.5 Programme Managers 0 0 Personal Assistant 1 0 Personal Secretary 1 1...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Education Welfare Service Staff (25 Sep 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: Within the statutory remit of the National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB), the Education Welfare Service (EWS) has specific responsibility for the Board’s general function to ensure that each child attends a recognised school or otherwise receives a certain minimum education. The EWS has a current staffing complement of 74 officers delivering front line services, 2 of whom have...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Provision (25 Sep 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: Under Section 3 of the , has a statutory duty to promote the welfare of children who are not receiving adequate care and protection. Section 2 of this Act defines a child as "a person under the age of 18 years other than a person who is or has been married." The changes proposed by the Deputy are not required, as a child may remain in care until they reach 18 years of age, should this be...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Inspections (24 Sep 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy with the most up-to-date information.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Foreign Adoptions (24 Sep 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 491 and 497 together. I have the utmost concern for the position that the prospective adopters who were close to finalising adoptions from Russia now find themselves in following the recent changes to the Russian adoption process. I have received a large volume of representations on behalf of the applicants involved and I and my officials have actively been...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Work Projects Funding (24 Sep 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Youth Affairs Unit of my Department supports the delivery of a range of youth work programmes and services for all young people, including those from disadvantaged communities, by the voluntary youth sector. These schemes include the Youth Service Grant Scheme, the Special Projects for Youth Scheme, the Young People’s Facilities and Services Fund Rounds 1 and 2, Local Drug Task...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Employment Initiative (24 Sep 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 493 and 496 together. Youth employment was a key-note theme of Ireland's EU Youth Presidency Programme. A key policy output on this theme is the Council Conclusions on Maximising the potential of Youth Policy in addressing the goals of Europe 2020, with particular emphasis on youth employment which were adopted by the Council of EU Youth Ministers in May....

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Staff Data (24 Sep 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: My Department is structured across three broad functional areas and the staffing levels at end of August, 2013 were: Sum of Revised WTE - - - Programme Area General Grade Description Child & Family Support Programme Sectoral Programmes for Children Policy & Legislation Programme Grand Total Secretary General 1.00 1.00 Assistant Secretary 1.00 1.00 Director 2.00...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Work Projects Funding (24 Sep 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: A Value for Money and Policy Review on a number of youth schemes in receipt of funding from my Department is currently being carried out. The Value for Money and Policy Review has focused on three schemes which provide funding of some €35.3 million to support the provision of youth services. These are the Special Projects for Youth Scheme (SPY); Young People’s Facilities and...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Funding (24 Sep 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Youth Affairs Unit of my Department supports the delivery of a range of youth work programmes and services for all young people, including those from disadvantaged communities, by the voluntary youth sector. These schemes include the Youth Service Grant Scheme, the Special Projects for Youth Scheme, the Young People’s Facilities and Services Fund Rounds 1 and 2, Local Drug Task...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Provision (24 Sep 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: As I have outlined in previous replies this year, where my Department and I, in conjunction with the HSE and other stakeholders, are progressing a Pre-School Quality Agenda involving a range of actions in eight key areas, aimed at improving quality within early years services and enhancing the regulatory regime. The actions include: - Increasing the qualification requirements for all staff in...

Other Questions: Early Years Strategy Implementation (19 Sep 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I never promised that.

Other Questions: Early Years Strategy Implementation (19 Sep 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: The group was only set up last year.

Other Questions: Early Years Strategy Implementation (19 Sep 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: Deputy Troy sounds as if he has read it.

Other Questions: Early Years Strategy Implementation (19 Sep 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: It will be published shortly, before the budget. It is very detailed and is the blueprint I asked the group to provide for the development of the early years sector. I thank the people who put such work into it. It is a high level policy recommendation. After that, we need an implementation plan and commitment to it. There will be a consultation day. The group was only set up last year...

Other Questions: Early Years Strategy Implementation (19 Sep 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: This concerns Question No. 11 but the general point about the inclusion of children with special needs in the preschool programme is well made. It is important to intervene with children with special needs as early as possible. The early school years programme is very helpful to those children. It is available free to every child between three and four years of age, including children with...

Other Questions: Early Years Strategy Implementation (19 Sep 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I welcome the Deputy's discussion paper and the work he has done on the early years. I agree with him that this issue of special needs and access to preschool requires further study at national level. There is local variation. We have child care committees in every county and, for the first time, they are being organised at national level. That will make it conducive to finding out...

Other Questions: Foster Care Provision (19 Sep 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Deputy's points are well made. I recently discussed with Mr. Gordon Jeyes, chief executive officer designate of the child and family agency, whether the foster carer recruitment campaigns should be taken out of local areas and conducted instead on a nationwide basis. There is a real difficulty for social work teams who are under pressure dealing with referrals on a daily basis to have...

Other Questions: Foster Care Provision (19 Sep 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I will answer Deputy Ó Caoláin's questions first. The Garda vetting situation impacts on a whole range of Government activities, from job activation programmes to recruitment of social workers and child care workers through to recruitment, as we are discussing today, of foster parents. Forty additional staff have been allocated to the Garda vetting office in recent weeks and we...

Other Questions: Early Years Strategy Implementation (19 Sep 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: Since my appointment as Minister I have consistently highlighted the importance of investing and supporting quality interventions in the early years of children's lives. There is an increasing body of Irish and International evidence which quantifies the benefits of early years interventions in terms of improving children's outcomes and in delivering significant economic and societal return...